Bob Baffert: Judge denies his request to lift two-year Churchill Downs And Noodles died May 22 of a non-exercise induced respiratory issue. The public backlash, including a letter written by a gay. Gray said at the time that the bill also would increase the institutional knowledge of Californias central horse drug-testing lab. Hes a very unique personality, a unique sense of humor. And he does know generally when to stop on a horse.. According to protocols, the medication is supposed to have a 14-day withdrawal period. Racing officials ruled that the positive test was a result of contamination and the wins of Charlatan and Gamine were restored. Ive heard the rumors on Bobby since we got in the business after winning some Cal Cup races. One of his grooms, Clemintino Abrego Garcia, testified that Baffert called him three or four times attempting to get him to admit that he had eaten baked goods near the horse. As he did so, a political group with Baffert on its board was involved in legislation that would result in Arthur losing his job. Baffert is America's pre-eminent active trainer. Mick Ruis, the owner and trainer of the second-place finisher in the Santa Anita Derby, has sued the CHRB. Bob Baffert's Life Is Good gallops to win in San Felipe Stakes at Santa His reasoning was that Baffert also administered thyroxine to horses outside of Hollywood Park, where his horses did not suffer sudden deaths. His white hair, tinted glasses and accessibility make him a natural to promote the sport. At the time, she was 42-years-old. In the past three years, there were 188 deaths involving either racing or training in California. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks . When he was 10, his father purchased some Quarter Horses and he practiced racing them on a dirt track. In April, after Arkansas reversed its decision on two Baffert horses and overturned his suspension, trainer Richard Baltas was bad-mouthing Baffert at Clockers Corner, the place where trainers and fans watch horses work in the morning at Santa Anita. The bill was introduced by California Assemblyman Adam Gray, a former aide to Cardoza who had been in office for less than three months. He will rub people the wrong way by speaking his mind, sometimes he needs to hit the mute button. It hurts racing., In the same speech, Baffert agitated for the continued use of Lasix, which is popular with trainers but increasingly criticized as a potential performance-enhancer and masking agent for other drugs. Real Quiet won the race that year, and Baffert also finished third with Indian Charlie. This whole thing is ridiculous, Baffert texted back, according to messages obtained by The Post via public records request. To the newspaper, she. Baffert has saddled 34 horses in the Derby third-most in history since his first appearance in 1996. There wasnt any question in my mind, he said recently. Baffert is known for holding court on such ideas at Clockers Corner, a popular hangout for horsemen at Santa Anita Park. Yeah, sure, hes a wiseass and irreverent. For every Baffert defender, you can find someone on the other side. [2], Baffert graduated from the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program with a Bachelor of Science degree,[3] got married, and began training quarter horses at a Prescott, Arizona farm. Pegram persuaded Baffert to try thoroughbreds. Earlier data was unreliable, the racing publication said. By Marty Irby. Arthur and CHRB investigators inspected Bafferts barn, reviewed veterinary records and interviewed Baffert, who was flanked by an attorney. Its all because of his success.. Yeah, but thats what drives him. Baffert won the Derby a third time in 2002 with War Emblem. It was obvious long before Miners Daughter collapsed in a blood-tinged froth in March 2013 that there was something amiss in Barn 61 at Hollywood Park, the Los Angeles-area racetrack. Horse trainer Bob Baffert on Monday argued that Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had been a victim of "cancel culture" after the horse failed a postrace drug test . He won the aforementioned first race at a sanctioned track in 1970, but his mother insisted he attend college and he enrolled in the University of Arizonas Race Track Industry Program. Baffert dedicated American Pharoah's win to Bobby. He appeared in an episode of the TV show Take Home Chef. The hearing for a preliminary injunction began in federal court on Thursday afternoon, continuing a nearly two-year-long legal battle between Baffert and the racetrack following his suspension back in 2021. The month after Gray introduced his legislation, Bafferts seventh sudden death made the deaths at Hollywood Park a national news story. Several members of the Breeders Cup board have used Baffert as their trainer. Hollywood Park closed in 2013, and the saga of the dead horses there faded quickly from the headlines. The dark side of Bob Baffert's reign - Washington Post Its so obvious. Until this summer, Baffert was the longest-serving member on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, having been elected in 2007. Hospital food is a punchline. On the morning of this years Kentucky Derby, he was going through his list of past Kentucky Derby winners and should-have-been winners, and dismissed Medina Spirit as not the best horse in the race. Things would have been so much simpler if the horse had not won the race. And he pushes the envelope to the extent that they give their lives for his bank account.. On May 5, Justify won the Kentucky Derby, upping the stakes of the investigation. They had discussions with David Tinsley, the former DEA supervisor who runs 5 Stones, the people said, but the thoroughbred owners involved scrapped the plan. Baffert wants a preliminary injunction that would keep Churchill Downs from denying his horses entry into races there and at Turfway Park, in Florence, Ky., and from "prohibiting him from earning. In 2015, the Daily Herald ran a profile on Jill Baffert, explaining that she was a former journalist and waitress from Centerville. We live and work in a fishbowl, with rumors and accusations flowing constantly, Baffert said. He started at The Times in 1980 and left in 1995 to be sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and Tribune Co. sports coordinator in 2002. "[16][17] Nonetheless, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert from entering any horses at their racetrack pending the outcome of an investigation. The testing levels have become ridiculous, Baffert told a conference of racehorse veterinarians during his keynote speech in 2000, according to a trade publication. Gray declined to be interviewed for this story, instead issuing a statement declaring that the personal vendettas of others, perceived or otherwise, play no roll [sic] in the legislation I carry. His spokesman added that campaign contributions do not affect Grays policy proposals. Arthur suggested the board retroactively apply it to the Justify case. . It subsequently said any horses running for a suspended trainer (Baffert) would not be eligible for Kentucky Derby or Oaks qualifying points. Petersen opined it would have been unfair to punish Baffert for what he called an oversight by CHRB staff and said there is no evidence to suggest a nefarious motive by the board. Baffert is a three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, and has several top prospects for the May 5 race. [18] Baffert responded by saying the situation "was like a cancel culture kind of a thing," a remark which earned him noticeable criticism from the press. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc. in federal court to end his suspension. But hes a good person, no, a great person. A CHRB investigator, searching for Jimson weed, had found a leafy substance at Santa Anita Park, the records show, and following the Derby, Arthur and the CHRBs lawyer agreed to have it tested. Its more the friendship that I miss. This time, he aided the CHRBs search for Jimson weed. Settlement reached over unauthorized Bob Baffert bourbon - The Bell told an investigator he then checked other bales and found a branch and pods he thought were Jimson weed in the parking lot. ), Arthur has defended his handling of the Justify positive. Arthur is retiring at the end of June from a job often consumed by the scandals of a single trainer. May 10, 2021. [24], On May 17, 2021, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) banned Baffert from entering Medina Spirit or any of his other horses in the 2021 Belmont Stakes or any other race at Belmont Park. "[23] On June 2, 2021, Medina Spirit's split sample also tested positive and Churchill Downs suspended Baffert through the end of the 2023 Spring Meet. He also can be found at the Olympics, having just finished the Tokyo and Beijing double, marking his 11th Olympics. Other people may have made a different decision, but to say that there was no basis for that decision is pure bulls---, said Arthur, who announced his retirement this year. [42][44] A friend of Baffert's and an inductee into the American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame, Adair died on Preakness Day, May 16, 2015, at 71. Please answer some questions in this short survey about professional soccer and the 2022 Men's FIFA World Cup. In his teens, he worked as a jockey for $100 a day in informal Quarter Horse races on the outskirts of Nogales. But by August, the plan had changed. Horse racing needs to cut off the head of the snake, Ruis said. He makes it clear that he believes in same-day medication and he believes in his whips, said Roberts, who has long pushed to remove whipping horses from racing. Jerry Hollendorfer has the most deaths with 122. In September, Baffert learned via a text message from Barbara Borden, chief steward for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, that his horse Gamine had tested positive for the anti-inflammatory betamethasone at the Kentucky Oaks. The veterinarian chalked up Bafferts response to ignorance. I believe there is some precedent in criminal law when a law is changed from a felony to a misdemeanor how they should be prosecuted even before the new law becomes effective, wrote Arthur, whose job before medical equine director was as a racetrack veterinarian. At first it was believed the substance came from a pain-relief patch that Bafferts longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes was wearing because of back pain. He still has a responsibility as the face of the game but I dont think hell overcome [this] because his personality wont allow him to do it.. Following the 2015 Belmont win, Baffert outlined several charities that he and his wife Jill supported. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Grays successful election committee. PUBLISHED 9:20 AM ET Jul. Then, when American Pharoah won the 2015 Belmont Stakes, the win was the fourth attempt at a Triple Crown for Baffert, who at age 62 became the second-oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown.[6]. The Kentucky Derby winner is staying ahead of . But Bafferts critics say his conduct after penning the article calls into question his seriousness about reform. Political Cartoons. He told reporters that he would fight the issue "tooth and nail. CHRB regulations state that its foreign substances guidelines are based on ARCI recommendations as modified by the state board. I told him I thought there was a good indication that these were feed contamination.. As the trainer battles to protect his legacy, the records offer a new window into how those charged with running horse racings disjointed regulatory system have appeared to treat the powerful trainer with deference. He was born on January 13, 1953, in Nogales, AZ. Rick Arthur, Californias medical equine director, who the documents show played a central role in the scuttling of the Justify matter, said the only part of the CHRBs handling of the case that disappointed him was the secrecy. The TOC, of which Baffert is still a board member, did not respond to requests for comment. The colt went on to win the Preakness Stakes, giving the trainer his third shot at winning the Triple Crown. American Pharoah next won the 140th Preakness Stakes, making six victories in that race for Baffert, who also finished fourth with Dortmund. Arthur, the equine medical director, took issue with Petersens legal finding that the CHRBs handling of the case could be declared arbitrary or capricious. By the April 1 ruling, Baffert had already transferred four 3-year-old colts to other trainers. It takes only a minute or so to walk from the racetrack at Santa Anita Park to the barns in back. Closing everything and moving forward is in Bobs best interest and the best interest of horse racing. This article was published more than1 year ago. I dont see somebody who is doping horses, Martin said after reviewing Bafferts drug-related history. However, Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone. Some of my friends swear that I'm actually a conservative Democrat. But even in those cases, which were handled according to established rules, the horses were disqualified and their winning purses were forfeited. He has also won the Preakness Stakes five times and the Belmont Stakes once. Former Democratic congressman Dennis Cardoza, also on the board, was co-owner with Pegram of Shakin It Up, a successful thoroughbred trained by Baffert. A week after that, Baffert learned of the positive test. With private eyes and political muscle, horse racings elite pushed to punish dopers, Bob Baffert, long horse racings irreverent king, sits on a precarious throne, Bob Baffert, banned from racing horses in New York, sues states racing association. View . Kentucky regulators taped calls without consent with Baffert after Medina Spirit test. The week after Justify won the Preakness, bringing him to the cusp of the Triple Crown, test results came back showing the plant they had tested was milkweed. And Ive warned them that this was not going to stay a secret at the time, he testified of the CHRB, but that was their decision, not mine. (Baedeker, who retired last year, told The Post they couldnt legally disclose the test results because CHRB did not file a complaint.). Some would argue, though, that if it makes a horse less uncomfortable, it improves their performance. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our equine and human athletes, Baffert wrote, and nothing impacts their health and safety more than the policies and procedures concerning drugs.. He's saddled. [11], Prior to Medina Spirit's death, Baffert had last been under intense scrutiny a decade earlier when seven horses in his stables at Hollywood Park died between November 2, 2011 and March 14, 2013, all from sudden and later unexplained heart attacks. [10][12] However, his violations for use of prohibited medications has sparked controversy. Baffert has had more than 30 drug violations in his 44-year career, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. The CHRB officially opened an investigation. Cardoza, who now works for a law firm, denied in an interview last month that the TOC was involved: Not at all. But he then said, TOCs involvement in that bill had nothing to do with Bob Baffert., Instead, Cardoza said, the drive to oust Arthur was over his opposition to Lasix. The dark side of Bob Baffert's reign. Other trainers seem to navigate just fine.. His American Pharaoh horse won the Triple Crown in 2015. But he said it wasnt clear from the records why the CHRB reversed course on filing a complaint against Baffert. Regardless, the indictments appeared to sway Baffert, whose opinion piece in The Post supported drastic action to fix a broken system. Among the provisions in the federal legislation that Baffert supported is a phaseout of Lasix on race day a reform Baffert had opposed for years. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc . It will all be settled by lawyers and judges and that takes time. The owners ultimately abandoned the plan after Bafferts horse, American Pharoah, won the Triple Crown that year, fearing their effort could damage the sport, one of those people said. Bob Baffert says Medina Spirit a victim of cancel culture | Lexington Yakteen rose to Bafferts defense and it ended with a scuffle that slightly injured a security guard. LOS ANGELES In 2018, as star trainer Bob Baffert led his thoroughbred Justify to the Triple Crown, California regulators embarked on a secret effort to exonerate Baffert after the horses positive test for a banned substance, according to confidential records obtained by The Washington Post that fully detail the saga for the first time. The 77-year-old billionaire made headlines last year when he made a $10,000 contribution to opponents of Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance. A recent conversation about the tragedy of horse deaths wended its way back to the defense of his reputation. Hell do anything to win, and hes got all his bases covered politically, Barry Irwin, owner of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, said of Baffert. Bafferts record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby, said Bill Carstanjen, chief executive of Churchill Downs Inc. Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility.. Bafferts lawyers have made explicit that he will accept fines but not a suspension, and state regulators have continually obliged him. Officials worked secretly to clear Bob Bafferts Justify amid 2018 Triple Crown run, records show. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. Bob Baffert Family, Net Worth, Parents, Wife, Sons, Education And Maryland Racing Commission Officially Suspends Bob Baffert, Brewster alleged, without providing evidence, that the Jockey Club directed 5 Stones to investigate anybody who doesnt train for them and wins a lot of races and might run in racetracks they dont run at., You know what the conclusion was? Brewster said of the alleged private investigation into Baffert. That didnt feel appropriate to those of who wanted to see science prevail, Cardoza said.
